


Death's Kiss

by Storm (Stormyskies97)



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-26 18:30:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 14,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15006806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stormyskies97/pseuds/Storm
Summary: Mercy is the Angel of Death. She spent many many centuries taking souls home to their eternal resting place. She was content with her job no matter how bad it hurt sometimes. During 1887 she decided to make Earth her home for good. While living with Gabriel and Michael she falls in love with a young male named Tristen. As soon as he enters her life, he leaves. She can't imagine placing him in Heaven knowing there's a chance to bring him back. No matter what the consequences are she'll take them.What does that mean for her?How will her family react to what she has done?Will she ever actually see Tristen again?





	1. Prologue and Chapter one

There were times that I felt like my siblings didn't understand me, I only had one job and that was to make sure people's souls got to where they belonged. I have lived on Earth for centuries watching people evolve, learn, teach, repopulate, grow old, and most importantly fall in love. I had watched other angels leave heaven to chase after humans for either fun or true attraction. I have watched humanity destroy itself over and over, watched people kill each other for multiple reasons. For every war that was waged, every person who killed, anyone who has ever died, I have been the one to carry their souls to their final resting place, whether it be Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, or to leave them in Limbo.

*******************************************************************************************************  
I can remember every tragic or major event in history, I specifically made small shadow orbs with each event that I keep on a shelf in my room no matter where I live. I'm not a heartless angel, there are some events that I couldn't stop myself from crying as I carried their souls away, some died too young, before their time, and some just didn't deserve to die that way in general. Some of the worst events that really upset me was; the 9/11 attacks in 2001, I remember going into the twin towers to take people home, pushing people towards the exits, and the smoke filling not just my lungs but everyone's. I had to take nearly 3,000 people home that day, some weren't ready while others had accepted it. The 2005 hurricane Katrina, rummaging through the debris to find people of all ages, natural disasters always suck but, taking 1,836 people home because of it is not something that I like to do. I remember the hysteria that the 2001 Anthrax attacks created, when same sex marriage was legalized in all fifty states in 2015, In 2017 when Hurricane Harvey flooded broad swaths of Texas and Louisiana. When the Spanish Flu of 1918 killed 675,000 Americans died, but fifty million people worldwide, not to mention that every time someone commits suicide not only do I have to witness the way they take their life, but, I get another hospital bracelet with their name on it, and depending on their religion they don't get to go to Heaven even if they deserve to go there.  
I had decided to stay on Earth permanently during the Victorian era starting in 1887. I moved in with my two brothers Gabriel, and Michael, I didn't want to live alone, not yet anyways. Michael worked down in the steel factory, said doing manual labor helped him stay out of trouble, unlike Gabriel, who I was constantly keeping an eye on because he was always getting into trouble. There were many occasions where he could've gone to jail, but I managed to persuade the "police" out of it. When Gabriel wasn't out causing trouble or following girls and sweet talking them, he would sit around the fire and tell me of his time in prison for getting into a fight with some other men. I never paid attention, I preferred the stories in my books to his outrageous tales.

"You never care about my stories." He said holding a cup of tea out to me, I grabbed it and set it on the table.  
"It's not that I don't care, you just say the same stories over and over again. After awhile I find them to be quite boring." I placed my bookmark in the book I was currently reading to see his face.

"Maybe you're just a boring person Gabe. No new tales to share, so you repeat yourself. Do something useful this century besides chase after girls." Michael said as he entered the living room.

"I'd ask how work was, but, I know the answer." I held my tea out to him which he took and drank thankfully.

"They are not boring. You take that back." Gabe said standing up as if to defend himself.

"Enough you two. Older than me and still giant children." I stood up and put two more logs on the fire.

"We are not giant children." They both exclaimed at the same time. I rolled my eyes as I laughed. 

"Children."

Not all of our interactions were so friendly. A lot of the time they would argue about anything and everything. Occasionally they would argue as to why I was letting certain events and deaths happen, I would always ignore them and continue on my way. I could understand why Gabriel was always chasing after humans, they were attractive and there was something about them that seemed to pull us towards them. I had been able to avoid them until my one chance encounter with a special human. He was like none other I had met, there was something about him that made me want to be around him.  
We were walking around town just window shopping when I spotted him, the most beautiful human I had ever seen. 

"Mercy? Can you hear me?" Michael asked waving a hand in front of my face, I shook my head and looked at him. 

"I'm sorry. I- I don't know what happened. I was looking over at the bookstore thinking about going to get some new books then I guess I went into my own little world." I could hear Gabriel snickering.

"It was a human wasn't it?" He asked with a smile so big I was sure his face would split in two. I stared at him and his smile vanished.

"So what if it was. I wouldn't be the first angel to sleep with one? The Grigori have been doing so for centuries, even Kasdeja has been doing so." Michael stared at me with a look I had never seen before.  
"You are not them, nor are you Kasdeja. The Elders are dealing with them." There was no emotion to his voice when he spoke. I stared at him for a few moments before crossing the street towards the bookstore.


	2. Chapter 2

I lazily skimmed through the shelves waiting for the right opportunity to go talk to him. He stood with what I assume is his sister giggling and smiling over a book. I flipped through a few pages of a random book I had picked up, I kept my gaze in him watching his every movement, every muscle twitch, every inch of his body.

"I'd say take a picture but those are very hard to come by and not very sneaky." Gabriel whispered in my ear. I jumped slightly before giving him a menacing glare. He had a sucker in his mouth with a playful smirk playing on his lips. 

"Don't you have some woman to chase?" I asked annoyed. I placed the book back and started moving down the aisle, still keeping my eye on him.   
"If I did do you think I would be here talking to you while Michael fumes across the street." I glanced toward the window, Michael was sitting at a table, nonchalantly staring in our direction.

"Good point. What do you want?" He laughed and put his arm out in front of me stopping me from moving anymore.

"I'm tryin to be nice, but you make that very difficult. I've never seen you show such interest in humans, let alone their lives besides where they go once they die. What makes this one so different?" I ducked under his arm and farther down the aisle. 

"Mercy, come on. I know how you get once you see something you like. It’s why you have so many of those orbs. You like to look back on things, dwell on them till you go mad, or it losses it's interest." I stood still, you wouldn't be able to make me budge no mater how hard you pushed.

"I don't know. There's just something special about him, I have to know why."   
"Why? Why is this one human so important to you, while all the others are just merely in the way."

"I don't know. Stop badgering me before you cause a scene." I brushed past him and straight into someone.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know anyone was down this aisle. Are you ok?" He placed his hands on shoulders so I wouldn't fall, it was like a shot of electricity shot through me. His gray eyes pierced through me, I was frozen in time.

"It's ok, she's clumsy herself, never pays attention." Gabriel's voice shocked me back into reality.

"I'm ok, really. I ran into you, I'm sorry." He smiled at me and I swore my heart stopped for a couple beats.

"I'm glad you're ok. Let me buy you a cup of tea or anything to drink to make up for it. Please." Before I knew what was going on I was agreeing and we were walking down the street to a small café.

“So you’re suitor didn’t seem to happy about me paying for something after running into you.” I almost choked on my soda and spit it out of my nose. I felt the heat rush to my cheeks. 

“He’s not my suitor, he’s my brother. He's just very protective, they both are.” He chuckled and sat at a small table after pushing in my chair.

"I'm Tristen. Before I ran into you in the bookstore, my sister was saying how I should go talk to you." So it was his sister, I was right. 

"Mercy. I guess running into me is one way of getting my attention." I smiled and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.   
We sat and talked for what seemed like hours but was only a few moments.

"Are you ready? We have to get home before the food goes bad." Michael said standing off to my right side. I sighed and stood up, saying my goodbyes I walked away with both brothers acting like a shield. 

"Can you two stop doing this? I can walk without you overcrowding me." I said shoving as best I could against them to get some space. 

"No, we have to get you out of here." I stared at Gabriel in confusement. It took only a moment before the blast hit my ears after that. I spun around and stared in horror at the café I had been sitting at just a few minutes ago. Slipping out of my brothers' holds on my arms I took off running, not only did I have a job to do but he was still there when I left him. I prayed with all my might that he had left. I seen his sister standing a few feet away, tears streaming down her face.

No, please no. Please let him be alive. I thought as I got closer and could see limbs through the debris. I didn't have to look long, souls were popping up looking for answers, I was the only one who could see them. I didn't care about them, I only cared about one person and I didn't have to look for too much longer. There he was standing by where the door used to be, I felt my knees shake and my head began to spin. I felt strong arms hold me up before I could collapse completely. 

"We'll get someone else to do this. You don't have to do this one." Gabriel said sweetly in my ear, I shook my head no and even through my tears and my heart shattering I did my job. I became invisible to mortal eyes and began collecting the souls, when I got to him I faltered. 

"I'm dead aren't I?" He asked before turning to look at me, I tried to swallow the lump in my throat.

"Yes love, you are dead. I'm so sorry." He turned at the sound of my voice and smiled. 

"Well, at least I get to see you one last time." I did my best to smile back before collecting his soul. I took a deep breath before letting them all go at their appropriate places, I held onto his a few moments more. I couldn't bring myself to let him go, I did something I never would do unless they were meant to be put there. I placed his soul in the regeneration pool and disappeared.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Present Time

I had managed to stay under the radar for 130 years. I created small shadows crows to do my work for me so I don't have to see anyone. Things have changed, you now can't just put souls through the door, you have to hand them off to an awaiting angel. All because of what I did, because I put his soul into the regeneration pool instead of straight into Heaven. Because I couldn’t stop my emotions from getting in the way. Gabriel and Michael tried for years to find me, praying to me every night hoping to get an answer. I never replied, only wrote down what they said till they stopped completely. They were the only two who cared enough to reach out to me and take me in when no one wanted anything to do with me. All the others would say how the longed to talk to me, and how much I meant to them when the truth was, they didn’t care, I was only a big part of their own jobs.  
I had managed to find myself a nice piece of land out in the country, I kept to myself and had a lot of my stuff delivered to decrease the chance of running into anyone I know. I got myself a dog to keep me company, she was good for keeping my distracted when I would get stuck in my head. It was hard living alone, I had no one around to have an actual conversation with, so I decided to finally be more social. I started attending the local college, I hadn’t made any friends but at least there were people to talk to instead of just myself.


	4. chapter 4

I sat in a lecture hall waiting for the professor to walk in. I watched as other students filed in just before the professor walked in and closed the door behind him.

“Afternoon class. Today we’ll be talking about Victorian America.” Great, I knew a lot about this subject. I was sitting in the third row from the from so I wouldn’t have to shout over everyone. “Let’s start with the Bubonic plague, other wise known as the Black Plague. Who knows when it first started.” Peopled whispered amongst themselves, I rolled my eyes. 

“During the 6th century, year 542.” I said, the professor looked at me with a small smile. 

“Excellent. It first struck during the 6th century. Signs normally started one to several days after exposure to bacteria. Flu like symptoms developed, including fever, headaches, and vomiting. Most infections spread by infected fleas from small animals, also from exposure to bodily fluids from a dead plague infested animal. The Black Death swept across continents in the 14th century killing fifty million people.” I let him drone on, I stared at the blackboard as he made small notes on the board. I raised my hand when he started to say the wrong things. 

“Yes?” He asked pointing at me. 

“You’re wrong. In some cases antibiotics were effective, the mortality rate in treated patients was one in fifteen percent while untreated was forty to sixty percent. People needed treatment immediately after exposure within twenty-four hours of first symptoms in order to prevent death.” He stared at me with a shock before concealing it and continuing on with the lecture. I couldn’t take the amount of misinformation he had so I got up and left. No one said anything, or made any attempt to stop me. I sat on one of the benches in the courtyard scribbling in my notebook.

“So you seem to know a lot about history.” That voice, I knew that voice from long ago. I turned my head to see him standing there. Never did I imagine I’d actually see him again, that electric feeling people say they get when they are around the one they love. His grey eyes stared into my own hazel ones.

“Yeah, my family was a bunch of history buffs.” I closed my notebook as he sat across from me. 

“Must be nice. My mother’s an English teacher so she’s always correcting my grammar.” I giggled and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m Tristen.” He flashed me gentle smile.

“Mercy.” I noticed someone watching me from a few yards away, I couldn’t tell who it was but I knew it meant trouble. “It was nice meeting you Tristen, hopefully we bump into each other again.” 

“Are you not staying in this class?” I shook my head.

“Too much missing information and I don’t think the teacher liked me taking over like that.” He stood up and handed me a piece of paper.

“Well then hopefully we can hang out some time. I’d like if you could help me with this class.” I smiled and took the paper.

“Yeah, of course.” I waved to him as I walked toward the parking lot.

“Guess you haven’t completely disappeared as we thought you did.” Gabriel said wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I moved out from under his arm and unlocked my jeep.

“No. All I did was keep a low enough profile to stay out of the limelight.” I tossed my bag onto the passenger seat before turning to look at my brother. He had a small smile playing on his face as he leaned against the side of my Jeep.

“Where have you been? Do you now how worried we’ve been about you?” I rolled my eyes.

“I do know how worried you’ve been and I’ve been at my house staying away from everyone and minding my own business.” I glared at him with my arms crossed over my chest. He gave me a cheeky smile.

“You’ve done a good job of that. Guess I came to the college on the perfect day though.” I shoved him off my Jeep and opened my door.

“Well good for you. I have things at home that I need to attend to so if you don’t mind.” He ran over to the other side and jumped in.

“I’m coming with you. I haven’t seen you for centuries, I’d like to spend some time with you.” I sighed and started the jeep up.

“Fine. But, if you think you can bring everyone around you are sadly mistaken” He laughed and rolled his window down as I pulled out of my parking space.  
As I turned onto my driveway, did Gabriel finally show any interest in where I lived.

“Pretty far out from town don’t you think?” I gave him a small, short laugh.  
“I like it out here. No one bothers me and I have my privacy.” I seen him nod out of the corner of my eye as I pulled up to the house. 

“Wow. How did you get this all the way out here?” Gabe asked astonished as he stared at my log cabin home.

“I built it, along with the barn out back.” His head whipped to the side and stared me with big wide eyes.

“Living the country life I see.” He smiled and jumped out of the Jeep before I had it in park.

“I like the quiet, subtle life that I live here.” I shut the Jeep off and made my way to the front door. Once inside he inspected every room like he was waiting for someone to pop out at him. I heard the nails on the hardwood before Gabriel could react my German Shepherd tackled him to the ground and began licking his face.

“Call it off! I can’t breath!” I laughed as I patted my leg catching my dog’s attention, she trotted over and sat at my feet. 

“You should’ve waited till I knew where she was.” He gave me a dirty look before standing up and dusting himself off.

“Yeah well I wasn’t expecting you to have a huge ass dog.” I laughed lightly and shook my head.

“She’s not even a year old yet. She’ll get bigger.” The look on his face made me laugh as I left the room. I tossed my bag onto the recliner and flopped face down onto the couch.

“Guess it worked.” Gabe said standing in the doorway.

“Guess so.” There was a long silent moment, neither of us know what to say to the other. After so many years apart we no longer knew how to have a conversation with one another.

“So, you’ve just been staying out here by yourself?” He asked as he took a seat in the chair across from me.

“Yep. It’s peaceful and quiet. Just the way I like it.” He gave me a small smile before giving me his serious look. 

“What have you been doing? We’ve all been worried about you, the only way we knew you were still active were your shadows and orbs floating around. I tried to track you own multiple times but your orbs refused to show me where you were.” I gave him a small laugh and stared out the window while absently petting Lucy. 

“I haven’t wanted to interact with anyone. I’ve enjoyed living on my own and going to the local colleges to see how they tell history, and how they describe Heaven, angels and demons. I let my ravens do my job, after that day I couldn’t stand to see their faces anymore, or hear their questions about the afterlife. It pained me too take him that day, I literally felt my heart shattering inside my chest. He didn’t deserve to die that way. I made enemies that day for putting him in the regeneration pool instead of in Heaven. For years after that I would hear them yelling at me, telling me how I failed at my job, how I shouldn’t have done what I did, how his soul might be damned now because of me. I learned to block them all out eventually and move on with my life. I couldn’t go on if I kept listening to everyone yell at me for what I did, I wanted to live life the way I wanted without anyone’s opinion.” Gabriel nodded his head and leaned forward so his arms rested on his thighs. 

“I get it, I do. Michael and I were extremely worried about you. We had no idea what happened to you after you disappeared. We thought maybe they had taken you and you were in a cell, brainwashed, or something else. I tried to track you for years but, once I knew there was no finding you I gave up. Even Michael tried, he searched every book store, every café, any place he thought you would be, he looked.” I could see the pain in his eyes when I glanced over at him.

“Then how did you find me this time?” He smiled and leaned back in his chair.  
“I heard some of the professors talking about some smart mouthed, know it all, sitting in their classroom telling them they were wrong.” I smiled to myself, I knew they didn’t like me but I didn’t know they bitched about me to one another.

“How’d you find that out?”

“Michael and I run a religious class every other day on campus. I was in the cafeteria and over heard them talking. Once I asked them about it I figured it had to be you. You’re the only one who would tell people when they got info wrong.” I laughed and nodded my head.

“Yeah, I’m glad I got on their nerves, even if I didn’t change their terrible teaching styles and giving those people false information.” Gabriel laughed and crossed his arms over his chest.

“No, the only thing you did was piss them off. But, at least they have something else to talk about other than their test scores and students who are failing or barely passing.” He stared out the window, judging by his gaze he was lost in thought.

“Can I tell Michael where you are? He’s been driving himself crazy worrying about you. Every time a student would ask about the Angel of Death or when we would reach that topic he kinda zoned out and would leave me to do all the talking. He misses you.” I looked down at Lucy, she was peacefully sleeping on my lap. I stared down at her, she always came running when I got home from any sort of adventure I found myself in. I could only imagine how my brothers felt, they were the ones who took me in when I decided to stay on Earth.

“Yeah. Tell him.” Gabriel had whipped his phone out so fast and began texting.   
“He’ll be here in ten minutes.” I stared at him in disbelief. It takes me more than ten minutes to get home, but then again, maybe he isn’t driving. I picked up my living room to make it look a little presentable not that he would really care.

“Where are you guys?” His voice drifted from the entry way, Luna jumped up and stared in his direction.

“In here.” Gabe called out as he stood up and leaned into the doorway. Within minutes Michael was engulfing me in a hug and squeezing me.

“Yeah, nice to see you too brother.” I said as I patted his back. 

“I’m so happy to see you,” He held me out at arms length staring at me like I was something new he needed to study. ”I’ve missed you. You should’ve called!” He gave me a stern glare before taking a step back.

“I’m sorry. I just needed some time by myself.”

“Time? You took centuries! How dare you be gone that long and not check in!” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at me. 

“I said I was sorry! And how dare you just walk into my house without my permission!” He pulled me into another hug.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t wait to see you. I’m glad you came back to us, even if it’s just this one time. I have been so worried about you. You also haven’t been to many book stores.” I laughed and shook my head.

“Why would I need to go to the bookstore when I can have them shipped to my house. I know how worried you’ve been Gabe told me. I’m sorry I truly am. I couldn’t handle anyone being mad at me for what I did that day. I needed some space to find me, to figure out what I wanted out of life instead of what my job was, what was expected of me because of my title. I couldn’t handle their pain along with mine, so I had no desire to see them. I couldn’t do my job properly especially when I would go upstairs I would get dirty looks.” 

He didn’t say anything, only pulled me into a hug. I stood there for a moment before wrapping my arms around his waist. Before I knew it Gabriel had joined in our hug and gave me a small squeeze. 

“I’m just glad you’re ok and that we are here with you now.” He whispered before letting me go. I could hear the happiness in his voice, I seen the glimmer of tears in his eyes. I knew my disappearance did some damage I just didn’t know it hurt them this bad, I felt my heart ache in my chest before I looked away.

“Who wants tea?”


	5. chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starts out in Tristen's POV

I stared out my dorm room window. There was something different about that girl, she wasn’t just smart or beautiful, it was like I had seen her before, like I know her from somewhere.

“Yo, earth to Tristen. You with us pal?” My roommate and best friend, Kyle said throwing his stress ball at my head. I watched it roll back towards him before answering.

“Yeah. I’m here.” I said, my voice lower than normal.

“Ya sure? You seem kinda out of it. You’ve been like this since you went after that girl from history.” Luke, another good friend of mine said. He was a quiet, attentive guy, never said much.

“Yeah. It’s just.. I have this feeling that I know her from somewhere. That, that wasn’t our first encounter.” They both stared at me for a moment before breaking out into laughter. “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up assholes.”

“Sorry dude, I’ve never seen you like this before. It’s different.” Kyle said wiping a tear from his eye, I flipped him off and looked back out the window in the direction of the courtyard.

“You gonna study with us or not? If you wanna daydream about your lost love Luke and I can go somewhere else.” There was no joking in his tone, I sighed and grabbed my backpack. 

“I’ll go. You need to study more than I do.” I grabbed my phone and walked out. I made it to my Jeep when a strong firm grip was on my shoulder.

“Tristen, listen. I didn’t mean to give you a hard time or make you leave. You don’t have to go anywhere.” I stopped Kyle from talking any further.

“It’s ok. I can tell I’m not the best person right now for a study atmosphere. Maybe going for a drive will help clear my mind. I’ll bring food back.” He flashed me a smile before heading back inside. Food always seemed to keep him in good spirits.

The drive was anything but mind clearing. I drove around just trying to not think of her, I failed. I ended up at the beach staring out into the water from the comfort of the driver’s seat.

“What the hell is wrong with me?” I asked myself aloud. I placed my forehead on the steering wheel, there was no way for me to shake this feeling. I needed to know how I know her, and why I couldn’t get rid of this feeling. I needed to talk to her, I cursed myself for not getting her number. How stupid could I be?! The only thing I could do was hope and pray that she texted me.

~~~ Mercy ~~~

We had spent the majority of the night talking and catching up. I had tried multiple times to excuse myself so I could be alone and have a breather, I had this gut feeling that I needed to do something, that I had to message someone. I had managed to slip away and grab my bag in the kitchen when I said I needed a refill on my tea. I dug around my bag for my phone when a piece of paper fell out onto the floor. I stared at it for a moment as I closed my hand around my phone, I bent down and picked it up. It was his number, I stared at it in my hand for the longest time.

“How long is it gonna take!?” Gabe yelled from the living room.

“I’ll be a little bit. I gotta make it from scratch again!” I hollered back, I wasted no time in typing out a simple hello and sending it to him. My heart beat frantically in my chest, it sunk in what I just did.  
You fool, why would you do that. You don’t even know this version of him. I thought as I leaned against the counter while the water heated up. I wasn’t even thinking, I had just met him again today, and here I am texting him.

“What are you panicking over?” Michael asked, I jumped, shoved my phone in my back pocket and looked over in his direction. He was leaning casually against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest.

“N-nothing. Just thinking about the last time the three of us were together.” He nodded his head and pursed his lips together. 

“I see. Are you afraid that something bad is going to happen? I assure you, nothing is going to happen.” I shrugged my shoulders, he wasn’t wrong, I was afraid of something happening but it was more along the lines of them breaking something in my house.

“You’re right. I guess it’s just something that’s always on my mind.” He walked over and wrapped his arms around me.

“It’s gonna be alright. We’re here and we’re not leaving you alone ever again.” I sighed and nodded my head as I hugged him back. I could feel my phone going off in my pocket, I had no way of reaching it without stopping the hug. Michael finally let me go and walked out of the kitchen to go see what Gabriel was up to, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and seen that he had messaged me back.

Hey. Didn’t know if you would actually text me or not :)

I smiled down at my phone till the tea pot began screaming. I made tea and carried the cups to the living room. I sat in my usual spot on the couch and stared at my phone, I did my best to hid my happiness from my brothers.

“Whachya doing?” Gabriel asked leaning forward with a curious look on his face.

“Nothing nosey. Watch the movie.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me before turning his attention back to the tv. 

Yeah. Thought I’d see if you needed help with your homework for that history class.

Kept it cool and casual, good job Mercy. I sipped my tea as I anxiously waited for his response, I could feel my brother's eyes on me. I glanced at them both and stuck my tongue out.

"What made you work at the college?" I asked, trying my best not to let them think I forgot they were in my house and that I was ignoring them.

"We needed something to do since you were MIA, and you know how much we don't like hanging out with our other siblings." Michael said pouring some sugar in his tea. 

"I wasn't MIA, I was just enjoying my peace from everyone till Gabriel found me on campus." Gabe smiled and ate a biscuit that I didn't know he had.  
"So you were purposely evading us." Michael said with a joking tone, I smiled at him.

I'm on the border line of failing that class. I'd appreciate any help.

My phone buzzed with his message, I jumped and read it immediately. 

"I mean, if that's how you wanna see it then sure. But, after everything that happened I needed some time to myself away from everyone. I didn't care to deal with their bullshit." I said. I sent my address to him and told him when a good time to come over was.

"Haha. You know all you had to do was give them your evil look and they'd have left you alone, you know that." Gabe said watching me carefully to see if I was going to throw anything at him. I rolled my eyes and ignored him.

We spent the rest of the night talking about what they had been up too, and what I had been doing all those years that I was gone. Sometime after two AM they had finally left, I went up to my room and crawled under my blanket with Lucy, my dog laying at the end of my bed.


	6. Chapter 6

When I woke, I could smell bacon, eggs, coffee, and burnt toast. I threw on nay robe and ran downstairs.

“Are you burning my house down?! I screamed as I opened the kitchen windows in hurry. Gabriel laughed and turned the bacon over in the pan.

“Michael doesn’t know how to use a toaster. He’s burnt every piece.”

“Shut up, you almost burnt the first batch of bacon you made.” Michael said defensively. Gabriel smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

“At least I didn’t burn it and almost set the house on fire.” I chose to ignore them and make myself a cup of coffee.

“Why are you guys making breakfast anyways?” I asked as I blew on my mug to cool it down so I wouldn’t burn my tongue. 

“We thought it would be a nice gesture since we haven’t seen you in so long, and for keeping you up late last night. We know how much you enjoy sleeping.” Gabe said placing a small kiss on my head. 

“Right. Don’t you guys have a class to teach?” I asked. I knew Tristen was coming over later and I didn’t want them here for that. 

“Yeah. Not for a few more hours though.” Michael said poking his eggs before giving up and taking a bite. 

“You aren’t going to die. I didn’t poison them you big baby.” Gabe said exasperated. “Our first class isn’t till ten. It’s only eight right now.” I glanced at the clock, it was earlier than I was normally up. 

“We also let your dog out and fed her.” Michael said. She sat at his feet and stared up at him, I laughed and threw a small piece of bacon on the floor for her. 

“Lucy. Her name’s Lucy and it’s ok to give her a small bite of food. Just not eggs. They make her gassy.” You watched as Lucy sniffed around for more food before looking at everyone with her tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth like the dork she is. 

“I started doing the dishes but, Gabriel said to wait till after breakfast. All that’s left is what we use now and the pan he’s currently using.” Michael said slightly irritated. He was always trying to stay on top of house work. 

“It’s ok. I have a friend coming over later so I’m sure we’ll dirty some more dishes.” Before I knew it those words escaped my mouth. I froze and looked at both of their faces. 

“Who’s this friend? Is it him?” Gabe asked in a serious tone. He was hardly ever serious, it scared me a little. 

“Yeah. I told him I’d help him with his history class.” Michael stood up, looking down. 

“I don’t care what you do, just be careful. I don’t want to lose you again. I can’t take it.” He walked out without saying another word. 

“Be careful sweetheart. Losing you the first time really hurt him. He spent many days and nights looking for you, it almost killed him.” Gabriel leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Guess I’ll have to do something nice for him huh?” I said trying to lighten the mood. He looked over at me, gave me a small smile 

“Don’t disappear on us again and I think we’ll be just fine.” He kissed my head and walked out.


	7. Chapter 7

I finished cleaning up the kitchen after they left. I had maybe two hours before Tristen showed up. I was nervous and excited all at the same time, it has been years since I had seen him let alone been alone with him. My stomach was doing flips and my heart was hammering in my chest.  
I sat on the front porch sipping on my tea while I waited with Lucy laying at my feet. I watched as blue hero drive up my driveway, nice choice of transportation. I watched as he climbed out of the Jeep and headed towards me flashing me a smile. 

“Hey. Nice place you got here.” He said gesturing to the property. 

“Thank you. Do you wanna stay out here or go inside?” I asked trying to keep my voice as level as possible. 

“We can stay out here. It’s a nice day.” He said as he sat down on the steps and began rummaging through his backpack. 

“I’ll go grab some drinks and snacks.” He smiled at me before I went inside.  
I stood in the kitchen trying to calm myself. I couldn’t believe he was actually here and nothing bad was happening. I brought out water and snacks and set them on the little table. I moved the table to closer to us and sat down next to him.  
We didn’t get much work done. We mostly talked about our family and friends, since I had none I talked about Lucy who seemed to enjoy laying by his side. We were so deep in conversation that neither of us noticed the black SUV pull up. 

“What the hell? We came back for lunch and you’re still having your study party.” Gabriel said as he walked up smiling. Those assholes did that on purpose. 

“I thought you guys took a lunch.” I said trying to keep the venom out of my voice. Michael shrugged his shoulders.  
“Someone ate them.” I sighed and shook my head. 

“Fine. Go get your lunches.” Gabriel kissed my cheek before walking inside.  
“Sorry. We were trying to stay out of the way for you to do your thing but, you know.” Michael said sitting on the bench swing eyeing us. 

“It’s ok. We were almost done anyways.” Tristen said flashing a dazzling smile at your oldest brother. You seen a slight smile grace your brother’s face before he nodded his head. 

“We didn’t mean to intrude, at least not me, I knew how much this meant to her to have someone over to help out.” Tristen gave me a quizzical but didn’t say anything. 

“Yeah well if she’d go outside more I’m sure she’d make a bunch of friends.” Gabriel said as he walked through the door one bag in hand, and half a bite of sandwich in his mouth. 

“Well she’s got you two, her dog, and me. I’m sure she’ll make friends easier if she wasn’t so smart and actually went to college.” Tristen said elbowing me lightly in the side. 

“That’s what I told Mikey this morning after we left! There’s some amazing girls in our class I’m sure she’d get along with.” Gabriel said after swallowing his food, I glared at him.

“You know I don’t get along with other girls. Too much drama.” I said standing up and walking over to him, I lowered my voice so only he could hear. “Stop talking and leave. I was doing just fine till you got here. I know what you’re doing and I don’t need your help.” He chuckled and stared at me with a mischievous look in his eyes. 

“I’m just making sure nothing happens this time. I told you, we’re not losing you again.” He walked over to Micheal and tossed the bag at him. “Lets go. We still got papers to grade.” 

“Papers? What class do you guys teach?” Tristen asked turning to face them. 

“The religion class. Not very interesting but apparently some people enjoy it so we still teach it.” Gabriel said giving him a dorky smile. 

“Nice. I have a friend in that class. He seems to like it enough. Says it’s a fun class during and after exams.” Gabriel laughed and sat next to him. The two began chatting like old friends. I sighed and sat next to Michael. 

“You guys came back to check on us didn’t you?” I asked. I didn’t even try to hid the defeat in my voice. 

“Yes and no. Someone really did eat our lunches. Last time we use the staff break room.” Mike said as he cautiously eyed the contents of the bag. “Also, Gabriel was freaking out about you being alone with him whether he admits it or not.” I let out a soft snort and shook my head. 

“He’s too protective sometimes.” Michael patted my leg. 

“I know but, he means well. It hit him harder when you left. He scoured every inch of the planet for you” I nodded my head in understanding. We sat there for a few minutes watching Gabriel and Tristen talk and laugh before Michael finally decided it was time to head back. 

“I should get going as well I have a class in an hour. I’ll definitely come by again for help. This class is definitely not as easy as I thought it would be.” He said as he packed up his bag. 

“Anytime. You know where she is now and maybe I’ll take a day off and make lunch or you can come over on a weekend.” Gabriel said as he places a hand on Tristen’s shoulder. 

“Of course. We’ll have to set something.” They talked as they walked toward the vehicles. 

“Good luck. I’m sure he’s gonna be talking about that for the rest of the day” I said as I patted Michael on the arm. He sighed and rolled his eyes before walking away. I waved till both vehicles were out of sight. I sat down on the steps and rubbed Lucy’s head.

“What the hell am I gonna do Luce?”


	8. Chapter 8

Months went by, Tristen and I grew closer, he practically lived at my house. Gabriel and Michael spent less time at the college and more time at home having what they called “family bonding.” I was ok with it until they got annoying. Gabe pretty much stole Tristen away, leaving Michael and I alone to watch them laugh and have a good time. 

 

“At least they get along.” I said as I opened a bag of chips attempting not to spill any. 

 

“That’s a good thing.” Michael said as he kept a watchful eye on Tristen and Gabe. 

 

“You’ve been on high alert for a few days. What’s going?” I asked, eyeing my brother. He stared off into the distance. I knew that look, he was listening intently to the other angels talking. 

“They know. They’ll be coming soon.” His voice was fierce and his eyes were hard. 

 

“Who?” I stood up making my chair move back a little, catching Gabriel’s attention.

 

“Raphael and Uriel.” I felt my heart stop, the world around me began to spin and my vision started to blur. “Sit down Mercy.” The words had barely registered before I felt his hands on my arms trying to steady me.

~~~ Tristen’s POV ~~~

“What’s going on?” I asked as I ran with Gabriel back towards the house. Mercy had turned a pale white and was swaying on her feet. 

“I don’t know. I think it’s just one of her fainting spells.” Michael said. He picked her up easily and carried her into the house. Gabriel and I stood outside the living room taking turns bringing cold wash clothes to Michael as he tried to get Mercy to snap out of it.  
I felt helpless just standing there watching all this happening to her, so I sat outside on the bench swing staring up at the sky. 

“She’s gonna be ok. She probably got too hot. Used to happen all the time when she was younger.” Gabriel said as he leaned against the side of the house. I could see the worry on his face but also the stern brotherly expression of someone who knows something that they aren’t sharing.

“What else is going on? Tell me.” I stood up and did my best to give him a serious, stern face. 

 

“I can’t. It’s not my place to say anything.” His voice deflated a little from what it was a few moments ago. 

“Tell me. If something is seriously wrong I need to know. I love her, I haven’t told her that yet but we’ve talked about making it official with as much time as we spend together. Please, let me help.” I watched his face soften, he pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. 

 

“They’re gonna kill me for this.” He let out a dejected sigh. “We’re angels. Mercy is the angel of death. You two fell in love like 130 years ago, you died in an explosion and Mercy went off the deep end, put you in the regeneration pool and disappeared. Now our other siblings have found out that you two are together again and are on their way here to probably kill you.” 

I stared at him in disbelief. He wasn’t kidding, or lying. I ran a hand down my face and leaned against the porch railing.

“You alright? I know it’s a lot to take in.” He places a tentative hand on my shoulder. 

“How long do we have till they get here?” I asked, trying to keep my voice level. 

“I don’t know. They might scope it out for a few days first of attack right off the bat.” I nodded and turned towards him. 

“What do I need to do to be ready?”

“There’s nothing you can do.” I sighed and nodded my head

I went back inside and sat by Michael and grabbed Mercy’s hand.

“I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. I love you.” I gave her hand a small squeeze. 

“I’m glad you’re here.” Michael said, his voice low.

“Me too.”


	9. Chapter 9

I stayed by her side for hours. Both Michael and Gabriel tried to get me to leave her and eat something, but I declined and told them I wasn’t moving till she woke up. They let me be and kept a vigilant eye on the outside. 

“Come on Mercy. Wake up.” I whispered as I smoothed her hair out.

“Did you mean it?” Her voice was soft.

“Did I mean what?” She smiled and opened her eyes. 

“When you said you loved me.” I smiled and gave her a brief kiss.   
“Of course I meant it. I wouldn’t have admitted to your brothers if I didn’t mean it.” She squeezes my hand and closed her eyes. 

“Good. It would be real awkward if you didn’t.” I laughed and laid my head on hers. 

~~~ Mercy ~~~

I relished in the feeling of his warmth and laid there for as long as I possibly could. 

“Are you gonna hog her now? I’d like to hug her too.” Gabe said, sounding a little dejected.   
Tristen finally stepped away, letting Gabriel sneak in and squeeze me in a bone crushing hug. 

 

“Loosen up. I’d like her alive when things go down.” Michael said from the doorway.

“Fine. I guess I can share her with you.” Gabe pulled me off the couch and smashed me in between him and Michael in a hug. 

“Uh, guys. Hate to ruin the moment but there’s some very angry looking people outside.” Tristen said, walking back into the room. 

“Shit. Stay here.” Michael said, as he shoved Gabriel’s arm off and walked out. I moved towards the window and opened it ever so slightly so I could hear what was being said.

“Hand them over.” Raphael said, Michael scoffed. 

“They’ve done nothing wrong. So fly back to the hole you crawled out of.” Damn, I’d never heard Michael talk like that. My how the times have changed him. Raphael and the others laughed. 

“You’ve stayed on Earth too long brother. It’s sad to see how far you’ve fallen. You used to be Heaven’s most valuable angel...Now you’re useless trash.” I didn’t get a chance to stop Gabriel before he stormed out of the house and grabbed Raphael by the throat. 

“How dare you! If anyone here is trash it is you. You were always waiting for the perfect moment to take Michael’s spot. You are the scum of Heaven, all of you.” His wings unfurled around him his rage radiated around him like an angry dog. 

“Let him go Gabriel.” Uriel said. I couldn’t help but think he used be a decent angel until he started hanging out Raphael. 

“I’ll let him go if you leave and never come back.” the ferociousness in Gabriel’s voice made even me scared. 

“You know we can’t do that. She has to pay for what she did.” Uriel remained calm through the whole thing, Gabriel threw Raphael through the trees. 

“It’s been 130 years! Get the fuck over it!” Gabriel roared. He began stepping towards Uriel when Michael stopped him, keeping his hand firm on Gabriel’s shoulder. 

“Brother. They chose to be ignorant, we can’t help those who can’t see past their own blindness.” Michael was calm, calmer than before. 

“I’m sorry.” Tristen whispered, giving me a quick kiss before heading out the door. 

“If I give up will you leave Mercy alone?” What the actual fuck was he doing?!


	10. Chapter 10

“Ah the little regenerated human himself.” Raphael said, brushing himself off as he stepped out of the tree line. 

“Promise me you’ll leave her alone.” Tristen repeated, still holding his hands up. 

“I promise to let you live if she gives herself up.” Raphael said cracking his neck and knuckles with an evil grin on his face. 

“No. I’m not gonna let you have her.” Tristen said. As soon as that last syllable left his lips he was punched in the gut. The other two angels, who I don’t know, held Michael and Gabriel while Raphael hit both of them hard enough to whip their heads to the side. I couldn’t let the three most important people in my life be beaten because of me. I told Lucy to stay put and I walked outside. I saw the smirk spread on Raphael’s face as I stepped off the porch. 

“There’s the little death angel herself.” I ignored him and watched as my crows swarmed him. He swatted at them, but his feeble attempts went right through them as they attacked. 

“Stop!” Uriel yelled. Everything and everyone obeyed, almost like he had frozen time. “Just come with us and we’ll let them go.” I shook my head. 

“I can’t do that. You’ve already hurt them.” 

“Mercy, don’t.” Gabriel whispered, I didn’t dare look at any of them, keeping my focus on the two bastards in front of me. 

“You want me? You got me. But you gotta work for it.” I smiled, feeling my energy surround me for the first time in years. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of having my power back. When I opened my eyes I could see the fear on Uriel and Raphael’s faces. 

“Mercy. Don’t do this.” Uriel said, his normally calm voice finally wavering. My only response was a grin. He couldn’t react before my hand suddenly shot out, sending him flying backwards and breaking a few trees in the process. I could feel all eyes on me, and I didn’t care. My only concern was keeping my boys safe.

~~~ Gabriel ~~~

I had seen Mercy pissed only a handful of times, and this was probably the worst. I looked over at Michael who only shook his head and replied,

“She’s fine.”

I watched as she unfurled her wings, and stretched them out. It was the first time I had ever actually seen her wings. They were pure black, like onyx black, and had little white spots dancing across her feathers, like a starry night sky. 

“You chose to come here, to my house, and attack my brothers and Tristen. How dare you set foot on my property and demand things from us.” I seen a red aura dancing around her. “I think you underestimated me.” Before I had time to process anything there was a flurry of wings and feathers, I couldn’t keep up. 

~~~ Mercy ~~~

I lost track of time. The only thing I could see was red. 

“Are you finished?” Uriel asked as he pulled us apart. I could feel blood running from somewhere on my body. 

“Leave now. Or next time, someone won’t be able to save you.” I said as I tried to gather my breath. He glared dagger through me before snapping his fingers. His two goons joined his side. 

“Next time? There will be no next time.” He gave me a sadistic smile. Before I could even react I was being lifted off the ground and everything was going black.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starts out in Tristen's POV

I screamed at the top of my lungs, calling out her name. 

“Stop. It’s not gonna do any good.” Michael said as he looked over his injuries. 

“We have to do something! We have have to get her back!” I yelled as I stepped towards him. He placed his hand on my shoulder, instantly calming me down. 

“There’s nothing you can do. They have her now, she's gone." The pain in his eyes made me stop in my tracks. There had to be something we can do, we can't just sit here helpless. 

"Besides, there's only one way into Heaven for you. And that's to die." Gabriel said wrapping his wings around himself. He seemed small and fragile compared to how he was just moments ago when facing his siblings.

"We have to do be able to do something." I replied freaking out. They both shook their heads and sat on the ground.

"It's up to her now." Michael sounded small and afraid.

~~~ Mercy ~~~ 

I opened my eyes and immediately closed them again. It was way too bright and my head was pounding.

"Shut off the damn lights." I said, my voice was rough and my throat was burning. 

"Guess we didn't kill her after all." Someone said, the snarky tone in their voice made me want to rip their throat out. I could hear hush whispering and footsteps drawing near.

"Open your eyes little sister." Raphael's voice met my ears. Just the sound of his voice made me want to cringe.

"Go to Hell. I'm sure Lucifer wants some company." I tried to keep my voice light. He laughed and held my eyes open letting the bright ass lights blind me. 

"You’re gonna do as we say and we'll leave your precious human alone." He gave me a sadistic smile, he knew damn well that I'd do anything to keep Tristen safe.

"Fine. What do you want from me?" I let out a soft sigh and hung my head letting my hair fall around my face. If it was the only way I could keep him safe, I guess I didn't have much choice than to become his pawn or whatever he wanted.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starts off in Gabriel's POV

I watched as Tristen paced in front of the fireplace while Michael patched his wounds. I felt a soft nuzzle at my leg, I glanced down to see Lucy looking up at me with pitiful eyes. I rubbed her head and closed my eyes. 

Kasdeja, Mercy is in trouble. I know we aren't close but, please, help her. She stood up for her human lover and Raphael took her, doing who knows what to her. Please. Neither Mike nor I can go to into Heaven and we don't want to leave Tristen here alone. Please Kas, Please. I prayed to my fallen brother, I didn’t care if he replied, only if he helped Mercy.

"Earth, to Gabriel. I asked you a question." Tristen stood in front of me waving a hand back and forth.

"Sorry. I was trying to get Mercy some help. We can't get into Heaven." I gestured between Michael and I. He gave me a confused look.

"But, You're angels. The archangels. How can you not get into Heaven?" He asked. I could hear the desperation and anger in his voice.��"Because we made a deal." Michael finally spoke up. He stood up from his chair and walked into the living room. 

"What kind of deal that you can't get back into Heaven?" 

Michael sighed and sat on the couch, staring at the dancing flames of the fire I could tell he was remembering that day. "When Mercy came to us saying she wanted to stay on Earth, we were only doing surveyance. We weren't even suppose to be down here for very long. When she came to me asking to stay with us down here I quite what I was doing and in doing so we lost our privilege to go home." 

"I'm sorry." Tristen's voice was small. He sat down on the floor and began petting Lucy.

"You needed help?" Kasdeja asked, snarky as ever.

"You heard my prayer?" I asked as I stood up to face him.

He smiled and leaned against the doorway. "I only came because Mercy is in trouble. I could care less about you."

"That's all I needed to hear. Please, help her. She hasn't said anything since they took her and I'm sure she's being tortured." My heart was racing as I waited for a response. I hated not being able to help my sister, I hated not being there for her.

"Of course I'll help. Call it even for all those years ago." He smiled before disappearing.

"Why would you do that?" Michael asked, he had a mix of anger, and fear on his face.

"Because he can lie his way into anything and right now, he's our best shot at getting Mercy home safe." Michael didn't say anything, only hung his head and stared at the floor.

~~~ Mercy ~~~

I refused to scream out in pain as he fried my brain, as he stabbed me repeatedly with his knife, as he beat me to the point of passing out. I refused to give him any form of satisfaction that he was hurting me.

"Come on! You should be screaming in agony at this point!" Raphael roared at me. I watched the blood stream out of my mouth. He held my head up by my hair forcing me to look at him. "You’re not as strong as you think you are. Just break already."

I laughed and spat blood at him. "Again. Go. To. Hell." Before I could even process anything pain rushed to my nose and the surrounding area. He dropped my head and walked out. I couldn't let him break me, no, I wouldn't let him break me.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starts in Mercy’s POV

I don't know how many days had passed, all I knew was that I wasn't sure I could take much more.

"You still alive?" I knew that voice. I looked up and was met with burgundy ones, Kasdeja.

"Yeah, I'm alive." my voice was hoarse from not speaking. "How long have I been here?" 

"About a week. It took me awhile to earn their trust to let me in here." I did my best to give him a smile. "Save your strength. You'll need it for when I break you out."

"How did you know I was in trouble?" He gave me small sips of water.

"Gabriel. He prayed to me asking for help. I only agreed because it's you." He flashed me his dazzling smile. I can see why all the girls fell for him.

"That bastard." I said in between coughs. It felt like my lungs were on fire.

"Relax. Try and conserve your energy. I promise I'll get you out soon." He rushed out of the room as Raphael and Uriel entered.

"So glad to see you still alive. Are you ready for another round?" he gave me the most sadistic smile I have ever seen. His normal sadistic smile was creepy as it is, but, this one, this one was ten times worse. He spared me the normal chit chat and began his torture. Today seemed to be starting off with being electrocuted, my favorite one. He did that for about five minutes. "Fine, you want to be stubborn. I'll turn it up." He placed the electrodes on either side of my head. I couldn't hold back anymore, I screamed until my lungs felt like they were going to burst.

~~~ Gabriel ~~~

I physically cringed as an ear piercing, blood curdling scream blasted through my head. I seen Michael fall off the couch holding his head.

"What the hell was that?" He asked as he regained himself.

"Mercy.. He's finally broke her." I felt his eyes and Tristen's eyes stare at me. "Took him a week. But, he finally did it." How he did it, I don't know and I don't want to know.

"What do we do?" Tristen asked, tears welling up in his eyes. Poor guy hadn't slept in days, and barely ate.

"Nothing. We just pray that Kas can get her out before he can do any damage and turn her against us." I walked out and onto the porch. I stared out into the tree line. Her crows that were normally perched there were gone. I watched the last one disappear in thin air. 

Kas. Please hurry. I don't know how much more she can take

Shut up, Gabriel. I'm tired of hearing your prayers. I'm doing all I can, it took me forever just to get them to let me in. I only seen her once and she was in horrible shape. The only thing I can do is tend to her wounds and give her water. I can't break her out yet.

I was taken back by his sudden response. I didn’t even know how to begin my reply, let alone if I should reply. 

“Gabe? You ok?” Tristen asked in concern. He gently placed a hand on my arm as a small gesture of reassurance. I shook my head as a silent tear slid down my cheek 

“I think Kasdeja might’ve gotten there late. He said he’s only able to tend to her wounds and give her water. He’s only seen her once and said she was in horrible shape. And, the scream she let out, I don’t think it’ll be good for us.” I told them as I angrily wiped my tears. 

“We’ll get her back. No matter what it takes.” Tristen said, he sounded hopeful. I wish I was that sure, I didn’t know if she was even in the right mindset.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Begins in Mercy’s POV

My lungs burned as if they had been on fire for hours. Every inch of body hurt. Eventually I was moved from the chair to a table, easier to see my face contort in pain. I had to hold on a little longer, Kas was gonna get me out, he swore. 

“Are you awake?” A soft voice asked as his footfalls drew closer. Uriel’s face came into view and continued to stare at the ceiling. “Fine. Don’t answer, I don’t care. I just thought I’d tell you Raphael will break you soon.”   
I waited till he was out of the room before I let the tears fall. He was right, I was going to break soon and there was nothing I could do to stop it. 

I was being violently shaken. I opened my eyes to see Raphael standing at my side smiling down at me. I sighed and closed my eyes again. 

“Just get on with it.” I whispered, my voice no more than a small squeak. 

“If you say so.” I could hear the smile in his voice before he placed his hands on my temples. My brain felt like it was being tossed around inside a cement mixer while a jackhammer pounded away at it. I screamed as loud as my throat would allow. Then finally, it happened I felt something snap and everything went quiet. 

~~~ Tristen ~~~

I know Gabriel said there was nothing we could do for her but, I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. They were deep in conversation giving me the perfect opportunity to leave. I drove down to the beach where my grandparents used to take me when I stayed with them during summer vacation. I got out of my Jeep and made the walk down to the shore when I noticed a figure in the sky coming towards me. 

“Tristen!” Gabriel yelled as he pulled my out of the way. Raphael had landed where I was just moment ago, with a sickening smile on his face. 

“How’d you know I was gone?” I asked looking at him and Michael. 

“Lucy was whining and we seen your Jeep disappear down the driveway. We got here as fast as we could. Kasdeja said we were in trouble.” Gabriel replied out of breath. His eyes were wild with concern, fear, and anger. 

“Is she-“ I couldn’t finish my sentence. I didn’t even want to think about it. Michael placed his hand on my shoulder. 

“She’s not dead.” 

I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I turned and faced Raphael, anger filled me as I strode over to him. 

“You bastard! What did you do to her!” I roared as I shoved him backwards. He smiled and snapped his fingers. Before I knew it Mercy was standing next to him, wings outstretched. She had a blank stare on her face, her eyes were cold and lifeless. 

“She’s mine now. You lost her. Kill him Mercy.” Raphael pointed at me, she didn’t even blink as she flew towards me. Before I could breath Michael was standing in front me holding her back. 

“Get out of here! We’ll hold her off as long as we can!” He hollered over his shoulder. He unfurled his own wings for more support. I couldn’t move, I collapsed onto the sand. 

“Come on kid!” Gabriel yelled as he picked me up and ran with my toward the road. We were a good two feet away when we both were yanked back by an invisible force. I landed just at the waters edge, I heard a giant splash and looked to see Gabriel had been tossed quite a ways out.   
Mercy had tossed Michael aside like he was a rag doll and spun to face me. I seem Michael laying facedown, not moving. Both brothers were incapacitated at the moment leaving me to fend for myself again her. I stood up and held my hands out to her. She stared at me with those cold, lifeless eyes. 

“Mercy. Don’t.” My words didn’t phase her. She grabbed my by the throat and held me a few inches off the ground. 

“Mercy! Don’t!” Michael yelled from his spot, he was attempting to limp over. She acted like she didn’t hear him, maybe she didn’t. I stared into her eyes and begged her with mine to remember who she was, that this wasn’t her. For a moment I could’ve sworn I seen the old Mercy, the Mercy that I loved. Her grip slowly began tightening on my neck, slowly cutting my air supply off. 

“MERCY!!!!” Gabriel roared as he tackled her, making her drop me down onto the ground. I rubbed my throat as I sucked in as much as as I could. I glanced over to see her and Gabriel fighting in a flurry of wings, feathers were flying around them. 

“Come on. You have to get out of here.” Michael said as he grabbed my arm to pull me to my feet. 

“I can’t. She needs me.” I broke free of his grasp and ran towards her and Gabriel. I found the moment that she was open and pulled her by the arm away from the fight. “Damn it Mercy snap out of it!” I yelled at her before crushing my lips to hers.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starts in Mercy’s POV

My lungs burned as if they had been on fire for hours. Every inch of body hurt. Eventually I was moved from the chair to a table, easier to see my face contort in pain. I had to hold on a little longer, Kas was gonna get me out, he swore. 

“Are you awake?” A soft voice asked as his footfalls drew closer. Uriel’s face came into view and continued to stare at the ceiling. “Fine. Don’t answer, I don’t care. I just thought I’d tell you Raphael will break you soon.”   
I waited till he was out of the room before I let the tears fall. He was right, I was going to break soon and there was nothing I could do to stop it. 

I was being violently shaken. I opened my eyes to see Raphael standing at my side smiling down at me. I sighed and closed my eyes again. 

“Just get on with it.” I whispered, my voice no more than a small squeak. 

“If you say so.” I could hear the smile in his voice before he placed his hands on my temples. My brain felt like it was being tossed around inside a cement mixer while a jackhammer pounded away at it. I screamed as loud as my throat would allow. Then finally, it happened I felt something snap and everything went quiet. 

~~~ Tristen ~~~

I know Gabriel said there was nothing we could do for her but, I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. They were deep in conversation giving me the perfect opportunity to leave. I drove down to the beach where my grandparents used to take me when I stayed with them during summer vacation. I got out of my Jeep and made the walk down to the shore when I noticed a figure in the sky coming towards me. 

“Tristen!” Gabriel yelled as he pulled my out of the way. Raphael had landed where I was just moment ago, with a sickening smile on his face. 

“How’d you know I was gone?” I asked looking at him and Michael. 

“Lucy was whining and we seen your Jeep disappear down the driveway. We got here as fast as we could. Kasdeja said we were in trouble.” Gabriel replied out of breath. His eyes were wild with concern, fear, and anger. 

“Is she-“ I couldn’t finish my sentence. I didn’t even want to think about it. Michael placed his hand on my shoulder. 

“She’s not dead.” 

I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I turned and faced Raphael, anger filled me as I strode over to him. 

“You bastard! What did you do to her!” I roared as I shoved him backwards. He smiled and snapped his fingers. Before I knew it Mercy was standing next to him, wings outstretched. She had a blank stare on her face, her eyes were cold and lifeless. 

“She’s mine now. You lost her. Kill him Mercy.” Raphael pointed at me, she didn’t even blink as she flew towards me. Before I could breath Michael was standing in front me holding her back. 

“Get out of here! We’ll hold her off as long as we can!” He hollered over his shoulder. He unfurled his own wings for more support. I couldn’t move, I collapsed onto the sand. 

“Come on kid!” Gabriel yelled as he picked me up and ran with my toward the road. We were a good two feet away when we both were yanked back by an invisible force. I landed just at the waters edge, I heard a giant splash and looked to see Gabriel had been tossed quite a ways out.   
Mercy had tossed Michael aside like he was a rag doll and spun to face me. I seem Michael laying facedown, not moving. Both brothers were incapacitated at the moment leaving me to fend for myself again her. I stood up and held my hands out to her. She stared at me with those cold, lifeless eyes. 

“Mercy. Don’t.” My words didn’t phase her. She grabbed my by the throat and held me a few inches off the ground. 

“Mercy! Don’t!” Michael yelled from his spot, he was attempting to limp over. She acted like she didn’t hear him, maybe she didn’t. I stared into her eyes and begged her with mine to remember who she was, that this wasn’t her. For a moment I could’ve sworn I seen the old Mercy, the Mercy that I loved. Her grip slowly began tightening on my neck, slowly cutting my air supply off. 

“MERCY!!!!” Gabriel roared as he tackled her, making her drop me down onto the ground. I rubbed my throat as I sucked in as much as as I could. I glanced over to see her and Gabriel fighting in a flurry of wings, feathers were flying around them. 

“Come on. You have to get out of here.” Michael said as he grabbed my arm to pull me to my feet. 

“I can’t. She needs me.” I broke free of his grasp and ran towards her and Gabriel. I found the moment that she was open and pulled her by the arm away from the fight. “Damn it Mercy snap out of it!” I yelled at her before crushing my lips to hers.   
~~~ Chapter 15 ~~~   
I don’t know if it worked or not. I refused to open my eyes and loosen my grip on her. I poured my heart and soul into that kiss. I needed her to feel that, I needed her to come back to me. I put my forehead on hers and whispered. 

“Please don’t leave me. You didn’t give up on me all those years ago, don’t leave me now.” I felt arms wrap around my neck and tears run down it. 

“I’m so sorry.” She whispered before stepping backwards. 

~~~ Mercy ~~~

His words flowed through my mind awakening something that seemed lost. I seen him standing in front of me, eyes closed, and forehead resting on mine. I felt the tears flood my eyes as I wrapped my arms around his neck. 

“I’m so sorry.” I whispered as I took a step back. He gave me a smile and held my hands. 

“Don’t be. It wasn’t your fault.” I shook my head and wiped my tears. 

“It is though. I should’ve been stronger.” I pulled my hands out of his and walked towards Raphael pulling out a knife from my back pocket. 

“What are you doing?! Kill him!” He roared as I got closer. He didn’t notice the knife in my hand as I approached.

I was two inches from him when he finally seen the moon glint off it, he grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back. I kicked him in the shin, forcing him to lose balance for a split second. That second was all I needed. I rammed the knife through his chest and into his heart. His eyes widened, and he grabbed my hands, I thrusted the knife deeper into his chest making him cry out in pain. 

“That’s for torturing me, making me hurt my brothers and Tristen, for being such a bastard and not minding your own fuckin business.” I watched as he burned from the chest out before crumpling to ash at my feet. I felt a hand on each of my shoulders. 

“Ya did good.” Michael said. I turned around hugged him and Gabriel. 

“I’m sorry I hurt you guys.” I cried. I couldn’t believe I let myself be broken to that extent. 

“It’s ok. We’re not blaming you.” Gabriel blubbered through his own tears as he squeezed me. “Let’s get you home and look at your injuries.” I nodded my head and let him lead me towards Tristen’s Jeep. 

Once home they all helped me inside and kept Lucy from jumping on me. Gabriel and Tristen say with me in the living room while Michael looked for the first aid. I refused to let them heal me, I deserved to heal slowly so I could remember how weak I was. 

“Just let us heal you.” Gabriel pleaded for the hundredth time. I gently shook my head 

“It’ll be my reminder that I should’ve been stronger and that I hurt you guys.” They gave me sympathetic looks but didn’t push it anymore.

We spent the rest of the night in silence. I had managed to sneak away amidst their constant watch on me. I had snuck up to the roof and looked up at the night sky, the stars were shining despite all that had happened. 

“You think if the stars can shine after a night like this you’ll be able to recover as well.” Tristen’s voice reaches my ears, I rested my chin on my knees. “Please talk to me.”

“I’m sorry. I just can’t believe I let myself get that weak and become a pawn in Raphael’s plan to kill you. It hurts me to know that I tried to kill you and my brothers.” I absently rubbed one of the bandages on my arm. Tristen placed his hand over mine to stop me. 

“Don’t. You’ll reopen it. None of us are mad at you. You were tortured for days, it’s ok that you snapped. We don’t blame you for what you did, you came back to us when we needed you too, that’s what matters.” He pulled me into his side, holding my head against his chest I could hear his heartbeat and how steady it was made me feel better. I felt fresh hot tears slide down my cheeks and I did nothing to stop them. He held me till I stopped crying, he rubbed my back the whole time and ushered soft soothing words. 

“You know we’d never leave you no matter what you do right?” He kissed the top of my head. 

“I know. I’m sorry I dragged you into all this. It was stupid of me to think you’d be safe and that no one would try to come after us in some way.” He tilted my head up so I was looking at him. 

“Don’t be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for. You had no idea anyone would come after us. You have to stop blaming yourself for things that are out of your control.” He was right, I needed to stop blaming myself for things I had no control over. I sat up and looked at him. 

“You’re right. I can’t blame myself for something that was out of my control.” I crawled back inside the house and walked downstairs. 

“Hey. We were wondering where you disappeared too.” Gabriel said smiling at me. I could hear Michael rummaging through my cupboards in the kitchen. 

“I came to apologize one last time. For blaming myself when I shouldn’t have.” He gently hugged me and kissed the top of my head. 

“Now that you’re done apologizing. I’m sorry for whatever mess we’re about to make in the kitchen.” He ran into the kitchen before I could interject. 

We spent the night talking about random things and watching movies. No one brought up the fight, or even what happened while I was gone. 

Michael tended to my wounds everyday till they were healed. He’d asked about twice a day to heal them, to which, I said no every time. I had managed to convince him that it was part of my healing process to let my injuries heal on their own. Tristen gave me space when I needed it but, he was always by my side making sure I was ok and that I didn’t need anything. I was grateful for all they did for me, but, they were just really overly concerned when they didn’t need to be. The threat was over, we were all safe.


	16. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my friend Shaila for helping me end this story and for editing a few chapters with me. You’re the best.

One year later

Life was finally normal… Well as normal as it could get anyway. Michael and Gabriel had gone back to teaching at the college, and Tristen had gone back to classes and changed his major. 

Me? Well, I stayed home and focused on making more ravens to take souls home. 

I only took the troubled souls, the one who didn’t think they were ready. 

No one had caused us any trouble since that final incident. I figure they were all too scared after what I did to Raphael to try anything, and that was fine by me. The less morons around trying to harm my family the better. It was almost strange, not having to watch my back or worry about Tristen, but I was thankful for the peace.

We all were, and it showed. Everyone smiled so much more than they had before… 

I guess Gabriel’s had never really left, but the set of Michael’s shoulders was a lot less tense these days, and the easy way Tristen looked at me was unmistakable. He knew I wasn’t going anywhere. That there wasn’t anywhere else I wanted to be than by his side. 

I was sitting on the porch one afternoon when Gabriel’s car pulled into the drive. I glanced at the clock beside me… It was way too early for them to be coming home. I stood and met them at the steps. 

“What’s going on?” I asked, but they just smiled at me before going into the house. “Ignoring my question won’t stop me from askin again!” I hollered after them before the door could close. Shorty after they went inside Tristen parked next to them, said a quick hello and followed them in. 

“What the hell guys!” I yelled as I stormed through the front door. They were in a small circle whispering amongst themselves. Even Lucy was sitting in the middle of the circle, tongue lolling out of her mouth. 

“Nothing did you to worry about. Go back outside and do whatever you were doing.” Gabriel replied, flashing me a cheeky smile. I glanced at the other two, who only shrugged their shoulders. 

“Fine. Don’t tell me. I don’t care.” I walked back outside and sat in my chair. They didn’t wanna tell me, fine. I could live with them having their little boy secrets. No big deal. 

After a little while, I had had enough of waiting outside and chewing my nails to nothing. I crept along the side of the house until I reached the kitchen. It was the closest room to them, and I swore I left the window open. I sat just below the window and peered over, hoping I didn’t get seen. 

“She’s gonna be mad at us for a little while but, she’ll get over it.” Michael said, the happiness in his voice something I hadn’t heard in a long time, even with everything as it was now. What the hell could they be talking about?! 

“Yeah. I think we’ve tortured her enough. Should we tell her?” Gabe asked, he glanced towards the window and I ducked as fast as I could. He didn’t see me, I was too fast, yeah. I walked as quickly and as quietly as I could back to the front porch. 

“You look out of breath.” Tristen commented. He was sitting in my chair staring out into the woods. Shit, busted. 

“No. I’m fine. Definitely not out of breath.” He saw right through my lie. He stood up and grabbed my hands. Michael and Gabe stepped into the doorway and looked at me, those curious smiles still on their faces.

“Listen. We’ve been through hell together, literally. I made sure it was okay with your brothers months ago for me to do this, I just um.. I love you a lot and you know I’d do anything for you. So,” he got down on one knee, pulled a small box from his pocket and opened it up. “Will you marry me?”


End file.
